Fuel-feeding mechanism for internal-combustion engines



J. R. SCQTT. FUEL FEEDING MECHANISM FOR NTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

- APPLICATION FILED DECM?. |9`l7- I 1,323,413; Patented Dec. 2,1919

Aims,

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

JACOB RUPERT SCOTT, OF NORTH WEYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR 0I.`| TWO- TENTHS T0 EDWARD I-I. KAVANAGH AND TWO-TENTHS T0 JAMES W. COLGAN, BOTH OF W'EYMOUTH, MSSACHUSETTS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

atented Dec. 2, 1919.

Application filed December 3, 1917. Serial No. 205.029.

To all whom t 'may concern:

Be it knownthat l, JACon RUrEnT Sco'rr, a citizen of the linited States. and resident of North Weymouth, county of Norfolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Fuel-Feeding Mechanism for Internal-(fon1bustion Engines, of which the following descrilition, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representinglike parts.

This invention relates to improvements in fuel feeding mechanism for internal comi bustion engines and the principal object thereof is to provide means for supplying to a `suitable mixing chamber. which communicates with the manifold leading to they engine cylinders, a jet of heated fuel combined with a suitable amount of preferably heated air to provide in the mixing chamber a perfect mixture which will operate the engine at a high el'liciencv and without the deposition of any material amount of carbon in the cylinders.

Another object of the` invention is to provide mechanism for heating the fuel supplied to an internal combustion engine, which nay be readily applied to an engine Ofany usual type.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fuel heating means for internal combustion engines adapted to supply to the engine either heated liquid fuel or -vaporized fuel. Y

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic means for supplying heated fuel t0 the mixing chamber of an internal combustion engine, the amount of the fuel tlms supplied being automatically controlled by the demands of the engine. a further feature of the invention consisting in `providing means for manually regulating as applied to an automobile engine of a usual type, it heilig however, understood that the invention may be used `in connection with any other form of internal coinbustion engine.

In the drawings;

Figure l is a side elevation of an automobile engine with my invention embodied therein,

Fig. 2 is an end view showing a portion of an engine cylinder with my invention applied thereto. the fuel feeding apparatus being shown partly in section,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the fuel heating and vaporizing chamber and means for selectively providing a communication with the engine cylinder either for liquid or vaporized fuel,

Fig. l is a plan -view of the means for delivering fuel and air to the mixing chamber,

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on lines 5-5, Fig. 2, and,

Fig. (i is a vertical sectional view Of the mechanism for heating, from the exhaust manifold, the air delivered to the mixing chamber.

The invention is illustrated herein as applied to an automobile engine of a usual type comprising a battery of cylinders l supported upon a cranli' case 2 and having the. usual inta'ke manifold 3 leading to the cylinders and an exhaust manifold t through which the products of combustion are discharged from the cylinders.

A main Jfuel tank 5 adapted to contain liquid fuel such as gasolene, kerosene, alco hol or any other suitable type of hydrocarbon. preferably is located below the level of the cylinders and the liquid fuel is carried therefrom to a mixing chamber where it is commingled with a suitable amount of air and thence drawn into the engine cylinders upony the suction strokes of the respective pistons of the engine.

lnasmuch as the engine structure may be of a usual character the detail construction of the. pistons and cylinders is not shown in the drawings.

The lprincipal object of the present invention is to provide means for supplying to the mixing chamber and from said mixing chamber to the engine. fuel either in a vaporized condition or in such highly heated engine will be run at the highest possible A condition that it will `be readily vaporized 'and to commingle with the fuel thus heated. asuilicient quantity of heated air to form4 a perfectly vaporized mixture ada ted to -produce complete combustion so t at the' changing the en 'ne iconstruction, thus en*V abling the. u'sua types of engine to be equipped with this mechanism'.

-Inr the-embodiment of the invention illusf trated hereinthe -fuel from the main fuel tank 5 is led through 'a pipe 6 to a fuel heat- "ing receptacle 7 ,which is so constructed as to "be located upon any heat radiating portion of the engine, preferably .upon the exhaust manifold.' The fuel fromv said heating 'renceptacle is conducted throughs ipe 8. to a nozzle 9 which terminates close y adjacent to the mixingehamber and which deslrably is provided with a valve 10 adapted to control the 'supply of fuel .delivered to the mlxing chamber` The valve 10 for controlling said nozzle preferably is so constructed as to be automatically operable to suppl more orless fuel according to the deman s of the engine and also adapted to be controlled manually in a manner which will hereinafter be more fully described.

The heating'receptacle 7 consists of a hermetically closed chambendesirably cylindrical in form and having concentric-'outer and innerwalls 11, 12 provided with an air space 13 extending centrally through said recepf tacle `and communicating with a pipe 14 which leads into the mixing chamber or into the conduit which delivers vaporized fuel and air to said mixing chamber. The lower Wall 15 of the receptacle 7 may be made integral therewith and the.upper Wall 17 de- 'sirably is Welded, brazed or otherwise secured upon said Walls 11, l2 to forni a hermetically sealed chamber 18 .for the liquid fuel. A filling cup 19 having atop 2O adapted to be tightly screwed thereon 1s provided for the purpose of introducing'liquid fuel The liquid fuel from the receptacle is carried to the nozzle 9 leading to thc mixing chamber through the pipe 8 which desirably communicates with the interior of the receptacle 7 near the bottoni thereof and well below the surface of the liquid fuel in said receptacle.

The nozzle pipe`9 desirably extends horizontally toward the mixing chamber and is supported in a suitable bushing 21 at one end of a tubular casting 22 the opposite end esirable fuel feedingl ymouths desirably areeovered with dust into the engine.

ligfaao 23 of Which is flanged and secured to the side of the manifold 3 cylinders. s

The nozzle 9 is of considerably smaller leading to the engine .diameter than the tubular casting 22 so that sirabl is so constructed as to deliver highly heute air to the mixing chamber and to the en e.

I vn the preferred construction disclosed herein the pipe 25 extend. i ertically and is connected by a horizontal pipe 26 to a pipe 27 ivhich is ber formed by a dome-like extension 28 of the exhaust manifold 4. This dome-like extension may be made of substantially semicylindrical formand its Wlills suitably "secured to thewall of the exhaust manifold around an aperture cutl through saidv manifold so that the products of combustion may .circulatefreely about the pi e 27. p

llesirably extend.

` The ends of the pipe 2 slightly beyond the end Walls of the dome 28 and are provided with downwardly extending bellshaped mouth pieces 29 which'lie close to, and parallel with, the Wall of the exhaust manifold. lThese bell shaped screen cloth in order'to prevent the entrance of the cylinln the. operation of the engine,

draw air ders, upon their suction strokes,

.into the bell shaped mouths 29 of the air supply pipe, thence through the ipe 27 Which is highly heated by the pro ucts of combustion passing through the exhaust manifold. The air thus taken in is drawn through the pipes 26 and 25 and the tubular casting 22 into the mixing chamber 30. The suction of the engine also draws fuel from the-main fuel tank 5 through the pipe 6, the heating receptacle 7 and pipe 8 to the nozzle 9, thenozzle being provided with a valve regulable to control the amount of fuel thus drawn in so that the mixture Which is delivered to the mixing chamber and thence to the engine may be' regulated'to give perfect combustion.

Inasmuch asthe fuel tanlr isat a lower level than the heating receptacle 7 and mixinclosed Within a heating chaming chamber 30 the tendency of the fuel in the pipes 6, the receptacle 7, the pipe 8 and the nozzle 9 is to fiow back into thevfuel tank 5 but this may be prevented by means of one or more valves preferably a ball valve 32 lo-' cated in a suitablepcage supported at the strokes of the pistons, for as soon as the partial Vacuum created by the suction strokes of the pistons ceases. the atmospheric pressure prevents further delivery of fuel from the main fuel tank 5.

ln order to heat the fuel thus supplied to the engine the heating receptacle T is made of sufficient Capacity to retain a considerable body of liquid fuel but the capacity of the receptacle is considerablyy greater than that which is required to retain the amount of fuel which can conveniently be heated. As illustrated in Fig. 3 the receptacle is filled to approximately one third of its capacity with the liquid fuel, the remainder of said chamber being adapted to contain air or vapor emanating from the heated fuel.

rlhe fuel heating chamber 7 may be seated upon any heat radiating surface of the engine. but preferably is placed upon the exhaust manifold and may be either directly seated. upon the same or upon a non-conducting base 35 which may be of asbestos or any other suitable material provided with a central aperture 36 leading from the at inesphere to the central air space 13 of said receptacle. 1f desired the base portion of the heating receptacle may be of curved or semi-cylindrical forni to fit a portion of the manifold or other part o f the engine upon which it is seated. Ordinarily however, a flat base will be found more satisfactory as it can then be applied to any form of manifold. K

In the operation of the engine the heat radiated from the manifold or other heating portion of the engine should desirablyheat the fuel in the fuel heating receptacle almost to its vaporizing temperature so that when it is delivered to the engine the heat added by the inflowing hot air will instantly vaporize the fuel completely. Means preferably are provifed for controlling the amount of air thus supplied so that a perfect mixture is delivered to the engine cylinder.

Since the heating receptacle 7 is a herineti cally closed chamber the suction of the engine in drawing a charge for the cylinder from it serves to reduce the pressure in the receptacle so that an amount of fuel equal to that withdrawn from the receptacle is forced by atmospheric pressure from the tank 5 through the pipe G into said heating receptacle. By providing means such as a filling cup. 19 which can be hermatically closed, as b-y the cap 20, any desired quantity of liquid fuel may be introduced into the chamber 1S and when once introduced substantially the same, quantity' will always be retained. Thus the amount of fuel which subjected to the heating action of the heat radiating surface may be predetermined to conform to the most effective eondition of the engine to which theI invention is applied. It will he obviousl that if the receptacle rests upon a higher heating,r surface a greater amount of liquid fuel should be retained in the receptacle than if the receptacle rests upon a surface of lower temperature. Different amounts of fuel also may be required in the receptacle for engine designs ruiming at different speeds. Thus the invention is adapted to be associated witlior applied to any usual type of combustion engine. It is, therefore, found iii practice that substantially no variation in the amount of fuel in said receptacle occurs and at no time is the fuel exhausted lielow the level of the inlet and outlet pipes and 8.

In the ruiming of the engine the heat de` livered to the receptacle is correlated to the amountv of fuel passing therethrough, for as the engine runs faster the manifold is more highly heated and consequently the fuel in the receptacle heated more rapidly, whereas as the engine is slowed down the manifold is heated to a lower degree of temperature by reason of the less frequent explosion' and the fuel is retained a somewhat longer time in the receptacle. Y

lVhile it is usually'. desirable to supply liquid fuel thus heated to the mixing chamber l have found that it is possible .to operate the engine under some conditions by the vapor from the fuel in the fuel receptacle instead of highly heated liquid fuel as above. described. This is accomplished by provid ing an outlet pipe 37 leading from the upper portion of .the fuel receptacle, above thel level of the fuel therein, into the pipe 8 which delivers fuel to the nozzle il. By placing a three-way valve 3S in the union 39 between the pipes i? and 38 and providing a suitable handle 40 with means leading to the dash or steering wheel the operator can control the-delivery of liquid fuel or of va 0r to said nozzle.

he amount of fuel Vdelivered to the engine preferably is automatically controlled in such manner as to respond to the demands of the engine and desirably is also regulated by manually operable means under the con trol of the. operator. A preferred mechanism `for accomplishing this purpose is illustrated in Fig. 2 in which the nozzle valve l0 is provided with a conical or spheroidal face 41 adapted to engage and fit a complenien tary valve seat -l in the end of the nozzle 9. A valve stein 43 extends centrally through the nozzle pipe and is journaled near one end in a bushing -lllocated near the nozzle and having recesses -l to permit the passage of fuel around said valve stem. The rod l?. is journaled at its opposite end in a bushing lli which formsa closure for the outer end of the nozzle l). A helical spring 47 bearing at one end upon the -hushing 4G and at its oppositeI end upon a nut 48 adjustably the valve screwed upon the valve stem 43 normally -tends to hold the valvelO seated.l By suitresponseV to the suction cfthe engine so that 4 1f the engine is running at a high speed the valve will open to a greater extent and supply a greater amount of fuel and vice -10v Ve-ISL. Al further feature of the invention consists in, providing means under the control of the operator for manually regulating the valve 10 in such a manner that the operation of this valve may be under either automatic or manual control. In the preferred mechanism which is disclosed herein a bell crank 49 is pivoted upon a bracket 50 carried by the tubular lcasting 22, one arm 51of the bell crank 'lever being connected by a link 52 to suitable mechanism withinthe reach of the operator while the other arm 53 of the bell crank lever is connected to a rod 54 which carries at its opposite end a bracket 55 which is slidably mounted upon the valve stem 4 3. The rod 54 maybe slidably mounted in a tube 56 passing through the upward extension 24 of tube 56 'being seated in'suitable osses or bushings 57 and 58 in said u ward extension .24. The tube 56 may there ore constitute a bearing for the rod 54.

A helical spring 5 9 surrounding the 54 and abutting at one end against the upward extension 24 of the tubular. member and at its opposite end a collar 60-fixedly secured` upon the rod 54 normally tends to force the bracket 55 out of engagement with the nut 48 so that the valve 10 is normally under automatic control. The valve stem 43 may also be provided with a nut 61 located a short distance from the lbracket and adapted to be engaged b 'said bracket to close the Valve when the bel crank is moved inthe opposite direction .to that above describedysaid nut 61 being secured in place by a set nut 62. By this construction the bell crank lever may be operated to control the fuel supply as follows; (1) It may be placed in aneutral position so that the bracket 55 will .not con tact with either the nut 48 or the nut 61 in which position the fuel feeding will be under automatic control responsive to the demands of the engine7 (2) it may be forced against the nut 48 to open the valve l0. in which case the amount of fuel supplied is under manual control. 3) it mayr be forced against the nut 61 so as' to close the valve 10 against its seat in the nozzle and completely shutoff the fue] supply and also prevent the automatic actuation of the valve by the suction of the engine. The latter condition makes it possible for the operator to cut off the supply of liquid fuel independently of the the tubular casting) 22, said pression of the air taken lsuccessively into the cylinders, whereby the engine will rctard the speed of the car without the use of the brakes and without anywaste of fuel. By thus operating the engine in coasting the air passing through the cylinders and out of the exhausts serves to remove carbon and sediment from the cylindersandsparkplugs.

Another advantage of the present construction resides in the fact that the valvelO is so constructed that mixing 4chamber takes place the valve will promptly beclosed and ignition of the fuel being delivered to the nozzle prevented.

The usual throttle consisting of a butterflyvvalve 63 may be located between the nozzle 9 and the mixing chamber and may bf controlled ,in the usual manner. However in view of the provision of means for both au# tomatically and manually regulating the nozzle valve l() and for controlling the engine inthe manner aforesaid the ordinary 'throttle valve may be omitted, in which case the nozzle should be extended to a point more closely adjacent the manifold so that the mixing of the air with the fuel will talee if 'back firing into the place substantially at the entrance to the additional amount of heated air desirably is delivered into the mixing chamber in such a manner as to mingle with the fuel and air which are introduced respectively through and around the nozzle. In the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed herein a pipe 14 leads from the tubular aperture 13 in the heating receptacle 7 into the tubular member 22 at a point adjacent to the manifold and preferably beyond the throttle valve 63.

The suction of the engine will of course Vcause a comparatively rapid flow of air through the pipe 14 ahd inasmuch as this air is taken in between the base of the fuel receptacle 7 and the top of the manifold 4 or vsuchother heat' radiating portion of the 'engine as theA fuel, receptacle may be situated upon, the air thus taken in will he highly heated. The drawing of the vair through the central passage in the heating receptacle 7 also serves to heat the inner wall 12 of the receptacle and deliver additional heat to the fuel in the receptacle.

Means desirably are 'provided for con-` trolling thc. amount of air which is supplied to the mixing chamber and engine through the air intake pipe "l5 and to the member 22. A convenient means comprises a butterfly valve 65 pivotally mounted at the junction of the pipe 25 with ,the upwardly extending boss 24 upon said tubular member, said butwill accumulate in this Well and Will act as" a priming charge to aid in starting the engine.

I have found in actual practice that by incorporating my invention in an automobile engine of a well known type the efficiency of the engine is greatly increased'and that more than fifty per cent. of increase in mileage per gallon of fuel is obtained. I

have also discovered that heavier fuels than the gasolene ordinarily used for operating internal combustion engines can be success fully used by the employment of the present invention for pre-heating, the fuel which is delivered to the mixing chamber.

ile the invention is disclosed herein as applied to an automobile engine it is to be understood that it may be used in connection with any other type of engine and that/the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is merely illustrative and not restrictive. The claims, therefore, which are presented herewith are intended to cover broadly any construction in which the broad invention disclosed herein may be incorporated and `which falls Within the meaning and scope of their terms.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1.' Fuel'feeding mechanism for internal combustion enginescomprising a mixing chamber, a fuel tank, fuel conducting means leading from said fuel tank to said mixing chamber including a fuel heating receptacle adapted to be seated upon the exhaust manifold of the engine having a capacity snfiicicnt to contain a substantial amount of liquid fuel and also to provide a space for vapor-ized fuel, means for n'xaintaining saidA fuel heating chamber partially filled with liquid fuel, means for causing'the delivery of a jet of said liquid fuel from said conducting means to said mixing chamber and means for supplying air to said mixing chamber.

2. Fuel feeding mechanism for internal combustion engines comprising a mixing chamber, a fuel tank, fuel conducting means leading from said fuel tank to said mixing chamber including a hermetically close'd fuel heating receptacle having a capacity sullicient to take a .substantial amount of liquid fuel and also providing a space for vapor- .leading from said fuel tank to said mixin ized fuel, means operable by the suction of the engine for maintaining said fuel heating` chamber partially filled with a substantially uniform quantity of liquid fuel, means `for heating said fuel receptacle and means for causing the delivery of a jet of heated liquid fuel from said conducting means into said mixing chamber.

3. The feeding mechanism for internal combustion engines comprising a mixing chamber, a fuel tank, fuel conducting means leading from said fuel tank to said mixing chamber including a hermetically closed fuel heating receptacle adapted to bc seated upon a heat radiating portion of 'the engine having a capacity sufficient to take a substantial amount of liquid fuel and also toprovide a space for vaporized fuel, means operable by the suction of the engine for maintaining said fuel heating chamber partially filled with a substantially uniform quantity of liquid fuel, means for heating said fuel chamber, means for causing the delivery of a jet of heated liquid fuel from said conducting means into said mixing chamber and means for supplying to said mixing chamber a current of heated air enveloping said jet of heated liquid fuel.

Jr. Fuel feeding mechanism for internal combustion engines comprising a mixing chamber, a fuel tank. fuel conducting means leading from said tank and terminating in a nozzle extendin into said mixing chamber and having a valfve operable by the suction strokes of the engine pistonto discharge fuel into said mixing chamber said fuel conducting means including a hermetically inclosed receptacle located upon a heat radiating portion of the engine and having a capacity sufiicient to contain a substantial amount of liquid fuel and also to provide a space for vaporized fuel, a substantially constant amount of liquid fuel being maintained in said receptacle by the suction of the engine whereby said fuel will be heated preparatory to its delivery to the mixing chamber.

5. Fuel-feeding. mechanism for internal combustion engines comprising a mixing chamber, a fuel tank, fuel conducting means chamber including a hcrmeticaily closed fuel heating receptacle located upon a heat radiating portion of the engine and having suffieient capacity to retaina substantial quantity of liquid fuel and also to provide a space for vapor from said flielmlleaxis selectively operable to supply a heated liquid or vapor from said heating chamber to the mixing chamber and means for supplying airto said mixing chamber to produce an explosive mixture.

6. Fuel feeding means for internal e0m` bustion engines comprising a mixing cham- 35 duit,'or vaporized fuel from the upper conber, a fuel tank, ay hermetically sealed fuel heating receptacle located upon-a heat radiing om said fuel tank to said receptacle, delivery conduits` leading from thev lower and upper portions of said receptacle to the mixing chamber, means. for' maintaining said receptacle partially filled withea substantially uniform quantity of fuell during the operation of the engine .and means for selectively causing liquid fuel to be drawn through the lower conduit or vaporized fuel through the upper conduit into the mixing chamberby the suction strokes of the engine pistonsfand means for to saidmixing chamber to form an explosive mixture. j 7. Fuel feedingmeans for internal com# bustionl engines comprising a mixing cham- -fuel and "to provide of the engine,

ing chamber, -a three-way valve located at the junction of said conduits whereby liquid fuel may be supplied through the lower conduit to the mixing chamber by the suction ating portion of the engine, a conduit leadchamber including" supplying air ing chamber and means for sup 'sa-id mixing chamber in congunctionwith jthe fuel delivered from said fuelconducting chamber, a fuel tank, -fuel waarna strokes ofthe engine piston. and means for supplying air to said mixing chamber.

8. Fuel feeding mechanism ifor internal combustion engines comprisingA a mixing chamber, a fuel tank, fuel conducting means leading from said fuel tank to said mixing fuel heating receptacle adapted to Vlcelocated upon a heat radiating portion of .theengine and having an inner wallproviding an aper- .a hermetically Aclosed ture through said receptacle adapted to .pro-

vide a passage fora current of air heated by the radiation .of the portion of theeiigine `upon 4which the receptacle is seated, a conduit leadingfrom said aperture to the mixmeans.. y

9. Fuel feeding mechanism for vinterna] combustion engines comprising a mixing leading from said tank and terminating in a nozzle having a' valve operable' byA the conducting meansk plying air to suction strokes of the enginev piston to discharge said fuel into the and aheating receptacle forming Apart of said.eonducting means adapted to? contain a substantially uniform quantity of fuel and having a capacity "considerably greater than is required for said quantity of fuel, meansA 'means for independent of said vconducting heating reintroducing liquid fuel into sai ceptaCle.

In testimony whereof name to this specification.

.moon RUPnRTsc'orT.

I have signed my' `mixing 'chamber 

